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The next battle for supremacy between the U.S. and Russia is shaping up to be a lot chillier than the last Cold War with the Soviet superpower.

In the Arctic Circle, the Russians are touting a new military base, a development that underscores how “woefully behind” the U.S. is in the ice race, in the words of former Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp.

“We've got our minds on a lot of other things around the world, and we're not focused on the Arctic,” Papp, who served as the State Department’s special representative to the Arctic, told Fox News. “Russia, on the other hand, is very connected. It's part of their culture. They appreciate the riches, the oil and gas reserves that they have along that very long coastline, and they are looking to exploit it for their own prosperity.”

The Arctic is less likely to be the site of a real war, Papp said, as it is the focus of a resource grab by Russia and China.

The new Arctic base was unveiled recently by the Russian Defense Ministry, complete with an interactive tour on the ministry's website and photos of armed Russian troops riding reindeers.

“There's a lot of propaganda involved,” Papp said, referring to President Vladimir Putin's visit in March to the Arctic Trefoil built on Franz Josef Land, an archipelago that belongs to Russia.

“Rather than be critical, and look at Russia and portray it as a Cold War, we ought to wake up and realize we need to be prepared in the Arctic as well,” he said. (click Fox link for full anarcticle)

President Trump signed an executive order Friday that could lead to the expansion of drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, saying it will reverse his predecessor's Arctic leasing ban and create "great jobs and great wealth" for the country.

Trump said the executive order, titled "Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy," will direct a "review of the locations available for off-shore oil and gas exploration" and related regulations.

"Today we're unleashing American energy and clearing the way for thousands and thousands of high-paying American energy jobs," Trump said in his announcement.

"Our country is blessed with incredible natural resources, including abundant offshore oil and natural gas reserves," he said. "But the federal government has kept 94 percent of these offshore areas closed for exploration and production."

Give it a few more years, with 'global weather change', the arctic will disappear soon. Then all them buildings up there will disappear under that cold cold sea!
Theirs, ours, and everybody else.
And the Arctic Sea is DEEP, with a couple of volcanoes at the bottom to boot!
What is Russia gonna do? Mine the snow and ice? Not hardly.